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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. date — the fruit
  3. track — a path
  4. clip — to cut
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. track — to keep track
  7. clip — for paper
  8. net — after costs
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — the tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. net — in sport
  17. clip — a video
  18. scale — in music
  19. net — for catching
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. scale — size or range
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. track — a song
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com